Driving Question: What is the impact on technology on education and us…..

Description

I was teaching a preschool class that had six children in the preschool classroom that were
preparing to go to big school next year. I taught a lesson on Australian native animals and
their habitats. Children engaged with the interactive whiteboard (IWB), where they were
shown different habitats and were able to drag the native animal to the suitable habitat.

Feelings

When the children were participating with the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) I had my
concerns that the children would become too reliant on the technology and it would limit
their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, communication skills, problem solving skills
and teamwork skills using alternative modes of learning. Furthermore, all the children in my
class were eager to use the IWB I needed to ensure all students had equal time on the IWB. 

Evaluation 

I had a positive experience as it developed my own professional knowledge. Furthermore,

the interactive board was able to support children with clues and guidance to support them
in determining the final answer. What didn’t go well was that students were impatient with
the IWB and were bashing the screen when they got frustrated when they struggled to drag
the animals to the correct habitat. These actions highlight the disadvantages of classrooms
technologies such as the IWB in relation to promoting communication and problem solving
skills to be communicating to the teacher their struggles with the technology. 

Comment:

How: I have added a more detailed explanation regarding the impact of the IWB on the
cognitive skills of the students.

Why: I agreed with the feedback provided for this section of writing to be more specific
about the impact of the IWB on learning

Where: These changes were made in the evaluation section in more detail

Analysis 

By allowing students to interact with the IWB in this lesson it allowed the students to feel
confident in completing the activity with technology that they were familiar with which
assisted with their engagement and participation. Children were encouraged to enrich their
learning through interactive contact with the Australian animals on the whiteboard.
Additionally, while incorporating technological components is effective in providing students
with the background and application information they require, the classroom component
allows them to receive instructor guidance and practice applying concepts (Pete (Rogers,
2021).
Likewise, students who participate in blended learning are required to take a more active
role in their education while also developing self-directed learning skills through children
being able to learn about the life cycles of the Australian native animals and their
relationships with other animals in their habits. According to Pete Rogers (2021), the
classroom component allows students to receive instructor guidance, collaborate with
peers, practise applying concepts and investigate topics in greater depth while online
content provides learners with information at a pace that is flexible in time. place, and
duration. 

Orlando and and Catherine Attard (2016) strongly supports that many different types of
technology such as Interactive White Boards (IWB) provide opportunities for more flexible
learning spaces as well as more flexible opportunities for students to write their own work
rather than simply consuming other people's work (Orlando & Attard, 2016). Whilst
technology is a positive aspect in education there are challenges regarding its implantation
in the classroom. According to Li & Lalani (2020) students have had a significant
disadvantage when they do not have reliable internet or do not have access. For example:
schools in areas of social disadvantage will often don’t have the technological resources
accessible.

Comment:

How: I have included additional analysis from a world economic forum paper regarding the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education

Why: My analysis should have highlighted the negative aspects of the increased use of
technology during the pandemic.

Where: These changes were made in the analysis section

Conclusion

Ultimately, technology has had a significant impact on  education through the use of
interactive whiteboards (IWB) that support student engagement and collaboration skills. I
feel that technology is  allowing students  to extend their knowledge and understanding..
Technology can be continually developed by teaching the students about the technology
and making sure that the teachers have the skills to work the interactive whiteboard to
support the students in the classroom.

Whilst a more specific recommendations regarding the ongoing training of teachers of

integrating the IWB into their teaching practice would be illuminating, this is not within the
scope of this particular driving question.